Nut-lock.



G. P. DYER. NUT Loox.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1906.

91 3 ,'7 1 2. v Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

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CHARLES P. DYER, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DYER AXLE LOCK-N UT COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

NUT-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed August 2.4, 1906. Serial No. 331,867.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. DYER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Nut-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to nut-locks, more particularly for use in connection with nuts or vehicle-axles or other' screw threaded rods, Where the Wheel turns upon the axle and is held in place by a nut, and is an improvement upon the construction shown and described in my Letters Patent N o. 798,996, dated September 5, 1905.

The improvement consists in the peculiarity of construction of the locking plug or key and of the chamber at the outer end of the recessed nut Which receives and contains the head of the plug and the location of its controllinP spring, as hereinafter described and specitbied in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this speciiication, Figure l is a longitudinal diametrical section of the end of an axle with the improved nut and locking plu properly assembled therewith; Fig. 2 is a p an of the nut and axle with the plug and its retaining ring or other means removed, looking into the outer end of the nut 3 Fig. 3 is a longitudinal diametrical section of the improved nut, with a spring within the inner portion of a chamber in the nut, beneath the head of the locking plug; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the outer end of the head of the locking lug; Fig. 5 is aretaining ring or Washer for t e plug; Fig. G is an elevation of a spiral form of spring such as shown Within the chamber of the nut in Fig. 3, but removed therefrom, Fig. 7 is a plan and Fig.` 8 asectional elevation on line 8 8, Fig. 7, of another form of spring which may be usedin place of the spiral spring shown in Fi s. 3 and 6.

eferring to the drawings, A is the end of a screw-threaded axle; B, a recessed nut screwed thereon, C is a longitudinal chamber bored in the end of the axle; as here shown this chamber is rectangular in crosssection, but `any other of the known forms Which will engage the locking plug or key and prevent it from turning in t e chamber, may be used.

P is the locking plug or key, provided With an enlarged head ll, of polygonal form, preferably a regular polygon, to facilitate its insertion into a'soeket or chamber b of coriespending ou tline in the outer end of the nut B. Adjacent to the chamber Within the end of the nut is another chamber b2 of a diameter a little in excess of the greatest diameter of the head H of the plug, so that when that head is pushed from the socket t into the chamber b2, the nut B may be freely turned about the head of the plug, and the depth of the chamber b2 is made considerably 1n eX- cess of the thickness of the head H, in order to permit the nut to be screwed further on to the axle -when the leather washers become Worn, and still leave sufficient space within the chamber b2 to receive the head H when forced inward from the chamber b and to accommodate the s ring s beneath the head. The head Il is mac e larger than the screwthreaded hole in the nut B, so that it cannot pass inward through the nut, and in order to prevent the plug from assing outward through the socket or cham er b, the outer face b3 of the nut B is made crowning, and after the plug P with its head H has been inserted into the nut, its crowning face b3 is forced inward so as to project over the outer edge ol the head lfil and form a lip of metal which will prevent the head from being forced outward from thechamber b by the spring s Whichbears against the underside of the head H of the plug P and keeps its head normally Within the socket t. Another form of spring uhich may be used in the chamber t beneath the head ll, in )lace of the spiral spring s, is the leaf spring shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the plug passing through the hole therein, and its four leaves Z will bear upon the inner ledge ofthe chamber b2. The head of the plug P may also be held in the chamber t by the spring s shown in Fig. l, which spring is secured within the inner end of the chamber C in the axle, as described and claimed in my said Patent No. 798,996; but a spring beneath the head of the plug in the chamber b2 I believe to be an improvement over the arrangement shown in said patent, and better and more convenient for the purpose.

It is found preferable to employ a thin steel ring or Washer w .vhichwillt accurately I into an annular rabbet r in the outer face of the nut, and project over the outer edge of l the head H. rlhen after this Washer is in place in the rabbet r, the outer face of the nut is forced inward over its outer edge, which may be beveled off at w, all as indicated in cross section in Figs. l and 3, and thus the Washer Will be securely held in its rabbeted seat and form a more secure and more neatly rmished stop for the head il of the plug g also the outer surface of the head H may be turned off at the edge so as to leave a boss or circular projection it Which will accurately iit within and lill the circular space of the ring Iw, and thus present a substantially even finished surface at the outer end of the nut H. The crowning surface of the outer end of the nut may be forced r inv/ard over the edge of the head il or ring w by any of the `Well-known methods of rolling or other pressure. lt will also be found convenient to bevel the inner end of the plug at p', so that it will readily enter the end of the chamber C When the nut is put upon the end of the axle. This construction of plug and nut is cheaper, and it is believed a better means for securing the plug to the nut, so that the plug will not separate from the nut When it is removed from the axle, than that shovrn in my said prior patent. And also, by placing the spring Within the nut beneath the head of the plug P, -the expense of tapping a thread in the bottom of the chamber C in the end of the axle for holding the spring s therein, is avoided, and the entire locking device can be manufactured as a separate article, and the only work to be performed in connection vfith the axle is to form the chamber or hole in the end thereof to receive the end of the locking plug. l

In the drawings, a polygonal head for the plug is shotvn, but it may be made of oval or any other form .vhichv-.fhen inserted in a correspondingly shaped socket will prevent the nut from turning about the head, and such l claim as the full equivalent of the polygon. It is preferable to have the head regular in shape and in the form of a polygon of six or eight angles, which permits small adjustments of the nut, that is, fractions of a revolution While if the head is irregular in shape an adjustment equal to an entire revolution only, can be made.

Although the thread of the nut and axle are cut so that the nut Will turn readily and Without the use of a -Wrench, the peripheral surface of the nut near its outer end may be roughened or lnurl as at lr, Fig. l, to facilitate such turning, which may be done by the hand.

l claim:

l. ln combination With a screw-threaded axle or rod provided with a longitudinal chamber in the end thereof, a plug adapted to slide in said chamber, but held from rotation therein and having a polygonal head of greater' diameter than that ofthe chamber, a recessed axle-nut provided at its outer end with a tivo-part chamber for the plug-head, the outer part of Which chamber is adapted to receive the head and hold the nut from rotation, and the inner part of said chamber to receive the head and permit the nut to turn freely about it, means to retain the plughead permanently Within the two part chamber, and a spring to hold said head normally in the outer part thereof.

A loch for the nut of a screw-threaded axle or rod which has a longitudinal chamber in the end thereof, comprising a plug having an enlarged polj. fone-l head, which plug is adapted to slide longitudinally in the axlechamber but is held from rotation therein, a recessed axle-nut Which is provided with a two-part chamber at its outer end, an outer part to receive and engage the head of the plug, and an inner adjacent concentric part to receive the head and permit the nut to be turned freely about it whenA the head is pressed inward from the outer chamber, means to prevent the head from passing from the chamber in either direction, and a spring to hold the plug-head normally in the outer chamber.

3. A loch for the nut of a screw-threaded axle or rod having a longitudinal chamber in the enn thereof, comprising a locking plug having an enlarged polygonal head, Which pluo' is adapted to slide longitudinally in the axle-chamber, but is provided With means to prevent its rotation therein, a recessed Anut for the axle, which nut is provided With a chamber at its outer end to receive the head of the plug and hold said nut from rotation, av

concentric annular chamber adjacent to the outer one which Will permit the nut to turn freely about said head When it is pressed in- Ward from the outer chamber, a spring to hold the plug-head normally in the outer chamber and means to engage said head and hold it permanently in the nut Within the limits of the two chambers.

il. A recessed nut for an axle, a locking plug adapted toengage a chamber in the axle and having an enlarged polygonal head, an outer. chamber in the nut-recess adapted to receive the enlarged head of the plug and hold the nut from rotation in relation to the head, a concentric chamber' adjacent to the outer chamber Which will contain the plughead When it is pressed inward from the outer chamber, and will permit the nut to turn freely about said head, a spring to hold the plug-head normally in the outer chamber, and means to engage said head and prevent it from passing outward through that charnber or inward through the concentric chamber When the nut is removed from the axle.

5. A recessed nut for an axle, a locking plug adapted to engage a chamber in the axle and having an enlarged polygonal head,

an outer chamber in the nut recess adapted to receive the enlarged head of the plug and hold the nut from rotation in relation thereto, a concentric chamber adjacent to the outer chamber which will contain the plughead when it is pressed inward from the outer chamber and which will permit the nut to turn freely about said head, a spring` within the inner chamber of the nut beneath the plug-head to hold it normally in the outer chamber, and means to engage said head and prevent it from passing,l outward through the outer chamber.

6. A recessed nut for an axle, having permanently combined within itself, a lug, one end of which is adapted to enter ant be held against rotation in a chamber in the axle, an

outer chamber in the nut to receive and en gage the other end of the plug and hold the nut from rotation in relation thereto, a concentric chamber adjacent to the said outer chamber, which is adapted to contain the outer end of the )lug when it is pressed inward and permit t ie nut to turn freely about the plug, a spring within the adjacent chamber, means to effect engagement between the plug and spring to cause the latter to hold the end of the plug normally in the outer chamber and means to prevent the plug from passing outward therefrom.

CHARLES P. DYER-- lVitnesses:

REUBEN L. ROBERTS, FLORENCE A. COLLINS. 

